I Got The Way
by Ava Nova
Summary: Etcetera catches the 8:23 every day. Based on 'I Got The Way' by Kate Miller-Heidke. R&R!


**A/N: I wanted to do a songfic based on a Kate-Miller Heidke song, but I couldn't pick one. This was one of the few I wanted to do. It's called "I Got The Way", so here's a link:**

**http://www [dot] youtube [ dot] com/watch?v=xKIeCiPS170**

**Enjoy!**

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"You'll be wanting to catch the 8:23, if you want to make it by 8:45 Cettie. _Don't miss it Cettie."_ Etcetera mumbled under her breath, impersonating the railway cat's accent. The entire concept of trains confused her, and though she'd never admit it, she feared it. Every time she jumped that tiny gap between the platform and the subway she'd feel a jolt in her stomach, should one of her paws get stuck and she be ripped to shreds, or fall and get crushed, or –

"No!" She said to herself, shaking her head. She waited for the train to arrive. It was the quickest way to get to the junkyard now that her human's had moved almost the whole way across London. She couldn't bear to leave the family, so she regrettably asked Skimbleshanks to help her find a train route.

The train noisily pulled up against the platform, silver panels shining, humans scrambling to get on before the doors closed on them. Etcetera followed directly behind a middle aged man in a business suit, jumping on between his feet and moving to sit on one of the empty, plastic chairs lining the side of the train. At least until someone pushed her off.

"Oh, thanks! Really!" She hissed at the old woman who had taken her seat. The woman just stared down at her stupidly. Muttering something about 'stupid humans' and 'no manners at all' she sat underneath the seat, trying to avoid the chewing gum close to her ears. As the train jolted to life she looked around, preparing for the 19 minute journey she was about to take. Her ears flicked upwards curiously.

Every day as she climbed the train, she somehow managed to be a few seats down from this curious brown and white tom. At first she thought it was Tumblebrutus, but as he turned to face her every now and again she grew to know he was far too shy and too skinny to be Tumble. She had never bothered to talk to him.

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"Hey Cettie, what's up?" Electra, Cettie's best friend was always very curious, and as Etcetera was lost in thought Electra had snuck up on her.

"Oh! Well there was this strange tom on the subway, and I'm trying to think if I know him." She said.

"Oh, is our little Cettie getting over her Tugger crush?" That annoying _brat _Pouncival was always bothering her.

"Urgh, never mind. I'm out of here, got a train to catch."

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The evening train was no different to the morning train, besides the four or five cats who took the train to late night hang outs. Of course, the night train was almost always a longer trip in Etcetera's eyes. On her way through the doors Cettie smiled at the mysterious tom, not bothering to look back at him to see his reaction. '_First contact!'_ She thought to herself, grinning in her head.

The Jellicle Ball was going to be soon, and Etcetera couldn't be any more excited. In the quiet train she had begun, absentmindedly, singing to herself.

"_I got the way, the way has got me._

_Holding my hand peculiarly."_ She stopped suddenly, noticing some of the cats watching her. One, a black and white queen who looked like a zebra, turned to the others, her face clearly saying 'What a freak.' Etcetera rested her head on her paws, hiding her face, and slowly got into a train of thought to take over the time.

"Psst! Hey, what's going on?" Etcetera looked up suddenly. The mysterious tom was there!

"Huh?" She said, totally lost. She looked up at the time. It was around 9:00, way past the time she was meant to get off, but she hadn't felt the jolt telling her the train had stopped.

"Wha – why are we still here?"

"It's not an express train, stupid. It's taking you out west." The zebra queen moaned loudly.

"Oh, I'm in so much trouble!" The train slowly came to a stop at a station she didn't know of, and she got off. The brown and white tom stayed near her. She walked up to the train roster, looking for the next train back into town. The confused look on her face led the tom to explain to her.

"We'll be waiting for ages. The next train comes at 11:00." Cettie frowned.

"Are you going back too?" She asked. He nodded. A sense of small relief filled her, glad she wouldn't be alone.

"I'm Etcetera. What's your name?" She asked. He smiled at her dazzlingly.

"Raduan." It was different, and so she liked it. The sat together, chatting and laughing, for the whole two hours, and as the empty train came they jumped upon it. He sat so close to her she could feel the bones in his knee.

"So why do your friends think of you like that?" He asked.

"Well I guess I sort of play the fool a little bit," She rationalized, "And I don't really notice. I barely have a chance to be witty, that's everyone else's job." She said. He nodded in understanding. As his stop approached she frowned.

"See you tomorrow?" She asked. He nodded.

"You know how to use human phones, don't you?" Etcetera nodded happily – it was one of her few talents. He recited a phone number to her, and she committed it to memory.

"See ya!" She called, waving as the doors closed.

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Raduan wasn't there the next day. Or the next. Or the next…

They still talked on the phone a lot. She was always trying to find out what happened, but he only said he didn't need to catch the train anymore. He sounded distant, both in tone and in how far away he really was. But she would never know.

He had made her think about her world, and how she acted. She had been changing the way people saw her. But he would never know.

She still catches the 8:23 to the Junkyard, hoping that one day he'll come back. But she'll never know.

She had this song in her head about the only time she ever talked to him, never sharing it with anyone. They'll never know.

"_I got the way, the way has got me,  
Holding my hand peculiarly,  
Singing on the train and suddenly,  
When I look up they're staring at me._

Swapping looks like 'What a freak' ,  
And 'All this excitement in the middle of the week!'.  
Well I like to play the fool a little bit,  
Don't even know that I'm doing it.

Since you left things have been changing,  
Chugging, chugging, chugging along.  
I've been busy rearranging,  
Where I get off and where I get on.

We caught the same train every day,  
I'd seen you and you'd seen me,  
But we both didn't see it was an express,  
So we ended up heading way out west.

It was late. We had to wait for ages till the next train came.  
You sat right up close to me,  
I could feel your bony knee.

If you were here, I'd lean over and say,  
If you were here today,  
If you were here, I'd lean over and say,  
I got the way.

I got the way, the way has got me,  
I still catch the 8:23.  
You sound distant on the phone,  
Distant in distance and in tone.

It's so much better when we're together,  
Why don't you pack up, leave that weather,  
And come back home where it's always hot,  
Even when it's not.

_Since you left things have been changing,  
Chugging, chugging, chugging along.  
I've been busy rearranging,  
Where I get off and where I get on._

_If you were here, I'd lean over and say,  
If you were here today,  
If you were here, I'd lean over and say,  
I got the way."_

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**A/N: I'm not particularly happy with how some of that turned out, but I want to know what you think so please review! ^_^**


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